


A Stranger

by R3d_R0535



Category: Star Wars
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Real World, M/M, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-05-08 10:01:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14691870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R3d_R0535/pseuds/R3d_R0535
Summary: Finn moved up in his classes. And now he has a bunch of classes with juniors. He doesn't know anyone and hasn’t felt this alone since he first moved here and was the new kid. But his loneliness is put aside when he starts to find interest in the quiet kid who gets bullied too often.





	1. The New Boy

A spark of laughter leaves Poe’s mouth as Rey leans into him. “I don’t even understand why he comes to school,” the teenager mocks as he throws a glance at the person.

“I know, he doesn’t even dress the right way. What the hell is wrong with him?” Poe shrugs as he grins mischievously. “Hey, hey, you, bitch boy,” Rey starts to giggle as she playfully tries to stop Poe from doing something stupid, but the boy gladly calls out the other.

A dark-haired boy, sitting at the back of the white colored room, turns his head to reveal his forest brown eyes and pale complexion. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Rey laughs as well as a few of the other students who were able to hear Rey’s dialogue from before, half-heartedly shaming Poe. The student doesn’t respond to him, only turns his eyes back to the outside world without a care for their commentary.

“Hey, did your mom like,” he points to his head, making a comical face while the other classmates start giggling along, “drop you on the head? Or did your dad drug you up when you were a baby, all Frankenstein like? Was he like, ‘It’s alive,’ but then said, ‘Oh, shit, didn’t want that!’” Poe continues making different faces, changing his tone to keep the students around him laughing and giggling.

“Class!” a voice yells loud enough for everyone to hear and stop any chatter. “Get in all your seats. What are you? Animals?” An older woman with blonde, short hair walks into the room and everyone does as she says, finding their seats and closing their mouths as not to incur her wrath.

“Now, lets get started so this period can go fast. Don't raise your hand just yet. If you have to go to the bathroom, please do that now. Although, you should have gone instead of goofing off before the bell rang.” A few students discreetly head for the door and into the hallway to use the restroom while she carries on, giving them a small glare.

“Today we are starting on The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. You will all be given a translation of his work. I want you to read up to the second section while in class. I will then give you a paper to answer questions at the end. Any goofing off or texting on phones will earn all of you ten points off of your grade today. Any questions?”

The teacher searches around the room, looking at the many faces that either held indifference or where shaking their head in answer. Just as the teacher was about to tell them to open their books, a cough and a raised hand appeared at the back.

“Yes,” the teacher responds, her startling blue eyes trained on the dark-skinned boy that appeared at the back of the class. “I got transferred to this class. I’m not sure where I should sit or what books I need…” the boy says as he holds a single piece of paper with a large backpack on. The whole class turns to him then, interested in what he looks like and who he is. He had midnight brown skin, with eyes that were a forest brown, and he held himself a little awkwardly.

“Alright,” the teacher says, getting up and heading towards him. “Class get started while I settle him down.” The students do as told, but still, keep a keen ear open out of interest.

“What’s your name?”

“Finn,”

“Let's take a look at your schedule, Finn.” She then glances over it and sees that he was indeed transferred and didn’t come over here to be with a friend or as a joke. She then hands him back the schedule and directs him over to the front desk. He follows behind her while she speaks to him.

“You’ll need to get a specific notebook for this class, pick whatever color you want. And don’t use it for other classes or to put anything else in, I will be looking at it on the weekends. I will post a question on the board every day and by the end of the week, you have to write me an essay. That is mandatory and costs most of your grade. So don’t skip out on it.” She then digs through her desk and picks out a thick set of papers, similar to the ones the students have.

“This is Dante’s Inferno, I think you heard what I just asked them to do.” Finn nodded as he took the packet and she beamed. “Good, because I hate repeating myself.”

Her gaze then drifts around the classroom, trying to find an extra seat. “Go sit by...Ben over there, the one in the far left corner of the class. He’s gazing out the window like he’s Cinderella.” Some of the students catch the small joke and start to giggle, but she gives them a harsh glare.

“Aren’t all of you supposed to be reading. AWhat did I say about ten points being taken off all of your grades? Isn't that right, Mr. Dameron.” She says, catching him passing a note to a Rey

“What did I say, lovebirds? None of that in my classroom or do your hormones want to be responsible for giving everyone ten points of their grades?” The rest of the students send harsh stares Poe’s way, not wanting to lose any points because of him. The boy nods his head and stares back down at his papers, hiding the note while the Rey does the same. The teacher then turns her attention back to Finn who seems a bit frightened.

“Well, go ahead and sit down,” she says sharply. He does as told, turning around and feeling a little lost as he tries to remember where she said to sit. He quickly understands where though as he realizes there is only one chair left in the entire classroom. He starts to head towards it, watching out for others book bags and feet. He then settles down at his desk and notices the boy sitting to his left.

The boy has hair as dark as black coffee with skin a cotton pale. He didn’t see his face and noticed that he was wearing all black, his pants partly tight and yet baggy, with his shirt large on him. He also had a chain that connected to his pocket that was scattered with small jewelry skulls.

“Um, hi,” he whispers, eyes shooting back to the teacher who was too busy looking down at her papers to notice his disobedience. The raven did not give him a reply, only looking outside, his work on his desk barely touched.

“The name's Finn.” He tries once more. “What’s yours?”

The raven doesn’t turn his attention to him, only ignoring everything that he has to say. Finn cocks his head in confusion. Did he do something to offend the other boy? Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk. He shakes his head, turning away from him and reluctantly beginning his work.

The class goes by faster than Finn expected, but he actually enjoyed the play that they were reading. The questions were more about his feelings than anything about the play which is refreshing. He doesn't talk much about his feelings these days. When the bell rang, he happily started to tread out of the classroom, avoiding the other classmates who bolted for the door, all too eager to head out for lunch. He was one of the last to actually get out into the crowded hallway, followed by the dark-haired boy.

Finn moved down the hall, going through the crowd strategically as he excused himself when he collided with others or brushed too close to them. “Hey, faggot! Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he heard a voice sharply say. Finn turns around to see some of the students that just came out of the class, storming past him towards the other student that was trying to wiggle his way through the crowd. He watched as they ran over to him, pushing him against the wall, making him drop the few books he carried.

“Well look at this fucking fag! Thought he was going to get away after I got yelled at in class.” He watched as the bully moved closer to him, whispering in his face. This looks bad! He should do something to stop this before it gets out of hand. However, he could not do anything as the situation diffused fast. The group heads off with Poe smirking as he gives the raven one last shove.

The other students barely spared the raven another glance as they went their own ways. A couple gave him pitiful looks, but most others scrambled away. Soon the whole hall was dispersed, beside him and the raven who remained slouched against the wall, staring at the floor, his hair hanging in his face.

Finn looks around awkwardly as he debates on whether or not he should actually help the guy. When Finn sees how the raven starts to pick up his things though, Finn acts and helps him. He picks up his discarded notebook that looks broken and bent, along with a few pens. “Here,” he hands them to the boy but does not receive a thank you or any form of acknowledgment. The boy grabs them and walks away.

Finn stands a little dumbfounded at the rudeness, but he doesn't take it personally. He's had a bad day. A bit of rudeness should be expected. Finn moves off to the cafeteria, dreading the fact that he didn't have anyone to sit next to. Hopefully, at least one familiar face might show up. Stepping into the cafeteria he finds the place utterly daunting. The elder kids populated the farther back tables near the windows while the freshman sat in the front, nearest to the doors.

Finn searched among the tables, trying to find one person in there that he might recognize. He didn't see anyone. It's gonna be a hard and awkward time finding a place to sit. He heads into the line for lunch with a heavy heart. His eyes catch something though. That kid in his class, the dark haired one, is sitting alone. The older boy stares down at the table, unmoving while the others around him ignore his presence.

Finn grabs his lunch, heading through the line and when he finally gets to the end, most of the lunch room has already acquired their meal. Only a few were left in line. Finn turns back to the kid and sees that he was still seated alone. Did he not have friends? Finn bites his lip, looking around the area for any other seats, but all the tables were taken, except for the raven’s. With a heavy sigh, he heads towards him.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” the boy looks up, startled and surprised. “Can I, please?” he smiles, trying to be friendly, but the boy didn't care; he shrugged and continued to stare down at the table. Finn slid into a seat opposite of the kid, cocking his head as he opens his orange juice. Is he a mute? Why is he so silent?

“What class are you in?” There is no answer. “Um, excuse me,”

He remains indifferent to his voice and makes the situation ten times more awkward than it needed to be. Finn promptly gave up on any conversation with him. He would have better luck talking to the wall than with this kid. He didn't know what his problem was, but he thought it was better that he didn't find out. So he ate his lunch, threw it away and headed off to the bathroom to stay away from the creepy kid. Staying in the bathroom seemed like a safe bet rather than being at the mercy of the other classes.

He slouched against the wall, happy that no one else was in there. He was hoping that maybe this day wasn't going to be him alone, barely scraping by without a friendly face in sight. However, that's exactly what happened. He got moved up to the junior's classes because of his intelligence. It was his decision to make to be away from his friends, but he is kind of regretting that decision right now. He thought that he'd be able to adapt but it will take some time until he's able to make new friends. At least he is trying, though, talking with whoever he can and all. it still doesn't make him feel much better since he's sitting in the bathroom alone on his first day. 

The cacophony of the bell ringing signaled everyone to start heading to class. Groaning at the prospect of another class, he began to rise. Just as he made his way out, he encountered that strange boy again except he wasn't ignoring him; this time he was watching him with steady eyes. Finn stared across the room at the boy and soon felt uncomfortable. He escaped to his classroom moving faster than normal.

The rest of his classes went smoothly and some of the other students started to talk to him. Only a little of course. He kept seeing the one dark clothed kid in his classes, but he didn't pay much attention to him and tried to avoid him as much as he could. When the last class finally came, that bully from his first class, Poe, was there also. The guy was a dick. He was showing off in their gym class trying to impress the ladies, while also making fun of everyone in his sights, pointing and laughing, but the ladies giggled and laughed at him.

Finn could hardly stand to watch him. He felt like he wanted to pluck his eyes out just having to witness him. Eventually, and thankfully, gym ended much to Poe’s dismay, but everyone else's relief. Finn couldn't wait to get out of there. He had been pacing around the whole time since the gym teacher wasn't really up for doing anything. He had walked around alone just staring and feeling like an idiot, having nothing to do, no one to talk to, but to walk aimlessly around the gym.

He went into the changing room, trying to directly avoid being in there for too long. It was always awkward changing with a group of guys or anyone that Finn wasn't friends with. So he tried to rush it.

While he was changing, though, he noticed the raven a few lockers down from him slowly taking his dark black shirt off, his pale and muscled skin being revealed. His muscles seemed to be carved into his body, they were that defined. A pang of jealousy started to swarm in him as he watched the way his skin was smoothed out by the defined muscle and how it curved into his body.

He looked down at his own body and felt ashamed of his own non-dexterous one. He didn’t have the kind of muscles he did, but he didn’t have a bunch of fat either. He had a more lithe body than him. When he looked back up, those eyes were back on him and he swiftly turned away feeling a bit ashamed for ogling another guy’s body. Finn then swiftly went into his regular clothes and headed out, not sparing a glance back to the other student.


	2. Home

Getting home has never felt so good. Finn practically jumps and spins onto his bed, loving the fluffy blankets and warmth it brings. It was a long day and he was glad that it was all finally over. He was the first one home, as usual, his parents worked later into the day. So he had to do most of the cleaning and prepare meals for them. His mother worked as a police officer while his father was an attorney.

They both were excellent at their jobs. However, with such dangerous and time-consuming work, they never had any time for Finn. Finn was used to it. That didn't mean that there wasn't a small weight he felt whenever they got home a little later than what they were supposed to or when he didn't have anybody to be at his parent-teacher conference meetings. It was nice to have the house alone, but sometimes he just wanted somebody else to talk to. It feels like it is too empty and cold, not warm and comforting, not like a home.

Finn gets up and starts to do his chores and begins to make spaghetti. It was one of the easiest meals to make. He didn't want to do anything complicated like black bean salad or one of the new recipes that his grandmother had given him. He wanted it to be nice and simple. And would be enough for his parents too when they came home.

They could even take some to work when he put it away. Mostly though he just didn’t want to do anything that was too dexterous, he just wanted to get through everything and then move on to his chores and homework. While that was going, he went down into the basement and started a load of laundry. He actually didn’t mind the chores since he was the only one here most of the time, it was like he was just cleaning up after himself.

His thoughts then randomly drifted back to the sad kid in his school, the one who had looked so alone. He didn't even know what his name was, just called him the black haired kid or something else, but he felt sorry for him. He thought back to how he was bullied at school and how quiet he was. Could it be that because he was bullied that was the reason why he was so quiet? Maybe he thought that if he was silent then the bullying would stop? Could be something else as well? It could be that his home situation wasn't ideal or he really was all alone at school.

Finn never saw him before in school, but he was an upperclassman. So, of course, he wouldn't know about him. Still, he seemed like such an enigma and his behavior was disquieting. The way that he was so isolated from everyone else, not a friend in the surrounding area for him. Nobody there. Why? He couldn't help but pity the mute boy who had so many people bullying him and was an outcast.

He's never seen someone so alone in all his life. Usually, everybody has a place even in high school. There is always somebody else you could talk to, even if that was just one other person. Why wasn't that the same way with this guy?

What is it that he did that made him such an outcast? He needs to stop thinking about him. He has to do his chores before his parents get back. That is if they do come back tonight.

Finn went back to doing laundry and drifts away from those thoughts, focusing on his work. He then started to categorize what he should do next for his homework and other chores. Finn heads back upstairs. He waits for the spaghetti to be done and then dumps it in a strainer. He places the noodles in the pot and leaves it on the stove and prepares it so that anyone coming into the house can just quickly take a bowl and get the meal they wanted. Finn’s parents better like it. He then starts to do his homework, making sure to remember that there was laundry downstairs.

Finn then gets lost in the equations of his math homework and the words of his English. He reads Dante's Inferno then soon falls asleep thinking about the seven layers of hell and cold eyes looking back at him. His parents didn't come home again. 


	3. Fight

Over the next week, Finn continues to catch up with his homework and his new classes. He has to read Dante’s Inferno and many more novels and plays. He doesn’t even want to discuss his science and math based classes, which are hammering him to hell. Finn was doing pretty good, though, despite the workload and everything else. His grades were the same, high grades, almost perfect scores.

Everything was going great for Finn. However, there was one thing that kept bothering him. 

Poe and Rey, with their group of bullies or laughing bystanders, always attacked Ben, the sad black haired guy. He continuously gets bullied without any remorse or guilt, and Finn is starting to get annoyed by it. It's always cringe-worthy watching Rey and Poe gang up on him without anybody doing anything to stop the violence.

More often than not, people will join in on the misbehavior, laughing with the group of bullies or whispering things themselves. He noticed that Poe and the others were sneaky with the attacks, making sure that none of the teachers were in view. Finn felt helpless when he watched it.

What had he done to cause so much hatred to be thrown at him? 

Finn wanted to try and find out by becoming Ben's friend and to also comfort him. That was impossible. Ben didn’t talk to him at all. It was always awkward every single time he tried to attempt a conversation. Ben immediately shuts down and looks away from him when he hears a single syllable directed towards him. He doesn't even acknowledge Finn’s presence. But Finn has caught him staring at him in the hallway, watching him with unnerving eyes. It seems he loved to look at him but hated to talk to him.

Finn stares at the boy in gym class now, watching as he stays to himself once again, not interacting with anyone or showing interest. But like clockwork, he sees Poe making his way over to Ben, laughing at something he was saying while a couple of students either joined in or moved away.

Finn watched as Poe pointed out at the boy’s clothes, commenting on how dirty and disgusting they were. Ben kept his head down, not moving from his spot while the teacher was out in the hall talking to another. The provoking from then on got steadily worse as Poe and Rey started to poke at Ben’s appearance, commenting on how gothic he looked and how sad his life must be.

Finn felt his fists clenching as the students around walked away or chuckled a little at what Poe and Rey said, no one caring about Ben’s feelings. He seemed to be unmoved by the comments, but Finn saw the way that he lowered his head and turned away, hiding his face from everyone in an act of shame.

Finn ground his feet, getting irritated as he watched this happen, but holding himself back a bit, hoping that someone might help him, but it was clear no one cared. Watching this sort of torture go on was terrible and everything that Finn’s parents worked against. How can he sit back and watch this? Let this happen? He knows his parents would tell him to go to the teachers and such, but that might just make the situation worse for Ben.

“Aw, look is baby emo kid going to cry? I think that he’s crying, look at this sucker, can’t even take any jokes. Ah man, this is just pathetic!” Finn watched as Ben said nothing back, he took everything that they dished out, not even making a move to get out of the way or try to find another area.

He stayed put and silent, avoiding their gazes. It seemed like he remained indifferent to everything, but at the same time it was carving a hole in his feelings. It was beginning to get on Finn’s God damn nerves. Why did he not snap? Why didn't he say something? He just let them do whatever they wanted without fighting back!

Finn could hear all the accusations and couldn’t help but feel so much sympathy for him because if he was in his shoes, he knew that he would have done something that would have left someone on the floor. He knew that he would be crying his eyes out after for everything that they were saying to him and how nobody cared that that was happening. And finally, after another round of insults, Finn couldn't take it anymore.

He walked across the gym, without anyone noticing him and marched his way over to Poe and Rey. “Hey!” he shouted out, making some of the others turn their heads towards him. “Knock it off!” Everyone turned their gazes towards him, some of them a bit stunned, and even Ben turned his eyes towards him, the startling light brown irises focusing intensely on him in confusion. Finn thinks that this was the first time that he has ever acknowledged him.

“What's it to you?” Rey asked, trying to sound menacing.

“Couldn't you just leave the guy alone he isn't doing any harm to you. What has he ever done to any of you? Just knock it off and leave them alone.” Poe and Rey showed a slight glance towards each other filled with confusion before the boy walked towards him, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Hey, now,” Poe said as he smiled at him. “Why don’t you head back to where you were? This little bitch right here is ours to pick at.”

Finn took a step forward, glaring at him. “I'm not leaving until you leave him alone and stop harassing him.” He watched from his side view as Ben took a step forward, his gaze intensely on him. Poe seemed to be confused, sending another look towards Rey, who shrugged as well.

Both of them seemed rather confused as to why anyone might stand up for Ben. Maybe they've been going at this for so long that no one raised an eye or a word to it, and now that someone has, they don’t know how to react.

“Look at this little boy here, thinking that he’s all man or something, but he ain't’ nothing but a scared little bitch.”

“Are you talking about yourself, asshole? Cause that’s the only bitch I see here, picking on someone who doesn’t even fight back.”

“You need to back off before my fist beats that bitch mouth of yours.”

“You mean little boys like you can fight?” Finn heard the resounding 'ohs' that went through the crowd and noticed the way that Ben stayed still, his eyes never leaving his form. But he didn't have time to pay any attention to that as Poe came at him screaming and yelling, swinging his fist.

“You little bitch!” He tried to duck and get out of the way, but it was already slamming down and knocking him to the ground. Next thing he knew the guy was on top of him, knocking the wind out of him as he landed on the gym floor.

Everybody around started shouting and roaring, while the blood rushed through his body and pain exploded everywhere that the other boy hit, adrenaline easing off some of it. He tried hitting back, but at this point, he was trying to block the raining assault of fists heading towards him without remorse.

Then, he took a chance when an idea struck, and he hit him right in his groin. He felt the fists stop as many people commented, but he blurred those out as he got out from under him. The gym teacher and students held them back from each other when they were finally separated.

“What the hell is going on here?” Nobody answered him, everyone remained quiet while Poe glared at him like he was the devil, breathing heavily and panting as if he were a beast.

“Well, you can tell it to the principle,” he yelled, telling everyone to stay put while him and a couple other of the students dragged Finn and Poe away to the office. Finn stole one more glance back to the rest of the students, finding Ben in the mix, his eyes trained on him as he left the gymnasium.

 


	4. Nurse

 

Poe and Finn sat in the counselor’s room, her eyes shifting from the both of them. Neither spoke, neither of them willing to start the impending conversation. The counselor grew tired of their extended silence, her eyes narrowing on both of them while her fists clenched. “Does someone want to tell me how this started?”

“He did it,” they both said at the same time, pointing fingers at one another without looking at each other. The principal let out an audible sigh, her strawberry blonde hair hanging in front of her face while the counselor’s afro bounced when she shook her head at their actions.

“Alright,” she said, throwing up her hands, “you go first Poe,” the younger boy turned to give a small look at the other boy before he began to list off his events of what happened. Apparently, to him, Finn had been the one to start the fight, and he was only protecting himself against what Finn was doing.

“That’s not how it happened!” The younger boy exclaimed, interrupting Poe in his banter. “He was bullying Ben. And the teacher wasn’t around. So I had to step in and do something about it.”

“Poe!” The counselor turned on him, yelling at the boy. “Bullying another person is not permitted!” The other boy’s jaw dropped his hands outwards towards the counselor, looking offended and confused.

“Why do you believe him?”

“Because he has less of a reason to lie than you do. And you’ve been known to cause fights more than he does.” She assessed in a sassy tone and with no amount of sympathy for the other boy who pouted at her response. Finn couldn’t help but smirk a little at the boy’s predicament, and it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve the treatment for what he has been doing to Ben since the beginning of the school year. He had this coming and it was nice to see it for himself.

The counselor didn’t let him off though. “That doesn’t excuse what you did,” she pointed a finger at him accusingly, her eyes just as sharp on him as they were the other boy. “You should have gone straight to find the teacher. You could have even come and talked to me.”

The younger boy didn’t say anything to that. His eyes went downwards, but it wasn’t because she had decided to turn her words on him then. It was because he knew where the next statement was going to go. “Finn, you’re paren-”

“Don’t.” He punctured out, his voice deeper and more mature than any of the others in the room would have thought. He was always being compared to his parents and their great success in the criminal justice world. The counselor enjoyed weighing their clean and nice lives to his grades, attitude, and the occasional disgruntled fight he might get into. He wasn’t going to allow himself to suffer through another session of comparisons.

The atmosphere around turned into a colder one, but Finn didn’t look up at the others to say anything, his eyes kept to the floor. “Don’t talk about them.”

He heard a chair squeak as the counselor leaned back a little, talking to the other two. “Poe, principal, can you leave us alone?” The two then shuffled out of their chairs and out of the door, closing it so that he and the counselor could talk in private. He didn’t care where this was done. He wasn't going to talk about his for the hundredth time. He refused.

“Finn, I know…” He stopped talking, arguing, just listened to the woman’s interpretation of the events, listened to that same droned on voice, the way that she curled the words in her voice and let them out as if she was superior. He then gave up listening, his mind turning towards his parents and what they were going to do to him when he got home. He dreaded the long lectures and talks that they would give him. They might even punish him. If they decided to come home tonight that is.

At the end of the conversation, the counselor asked him if he would try to do better, as always. She wanted him to be better, to follow his parent’s examples and emulate them. He nodded his head, smiling a little to make her feel better while his gut felt like wrecking itself apart. “Alright, I’ll try,”

She smiled back, unaware of his conflicting feelings, satisfied with that response as she replied with an, “Okay,” she then pointed towards the door. “Now, head off to the nurse, let her look at that lip of yours.”

He had forgotten about his bleeding lip and the hurt that he felt on his face because of Poe’s punches. The reminder made a sharp sting resonate on his skin. He got up out of her chair and headed to the office, ignoring anything she might want to add as he speed-walked towards the nurse. He didn’t want to be caught inside another small mini-session with her again. She already tries to interfere in his life enough.

When he got to the nurse’s office, passing by a few students who gawked at him, he saw Poe there as well, with an older man in a uniform. He cocks his head for a moment as he sees the familiar uniform, a slight sting in his heart, but the man turns around and he knows that it is just Poe’s dad. He forgot that Poe’s dad was actually a partner of his mothers at one point; he recalls them being quite close.

Finn ignores them as he moves towards the nurse, pointing at his lip and asking if she had anything for it. The nurse nodded her head, getting a few things as well as ice for the bruise that was starting to throb on his face. He was going to have that swollen for a while after this. His parents were definitely going to kill him. The nurse patched him up and scolded him for a moment about fighting. After her small lecture, she left the room and Finn couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Hey,” Finn is a little startled by the sudden voice, but when he turns and realizes that it is just Poe, he slouches in his seat, holding the ice pack to his face. Poe then shuffled in his place, while the man in the police uniform stood not so far away, hands on his hips, watching his boy. “I just wanted to say sorry. Alright?”

The brunette haired boy rolled his eyes a little as he said it. Finn crossed his arms over his chest, turning his eyes away from him. “You should apologize to Ben.”

Poe remained silent by him for a moment, giving him a small glance before he moved to his father. Finn thought it was a bit strange for Poe to become silent like that. He’s usually a blabbermouth, but having his dad watch him probably made him behave. Poe and his dad end up leaving the room after his apology and Finn is left alone.

The man then leaves, his son giving Finn one last look before following him. When they leave, he is left there alone. He waits in the room, expecting his parents to come, dreading it. After a significant period of time, he hears footsteps coming down the hall. He holds his breath, watching the doorway until a dark-haired, tall figure appears

“Ben?” He questioned the raven-haired boy who approached him. “What are you doing here?”

Ben stayed uncomfortably silent next to Finn, just staring at him with a blank expression. Finn cocked his head, feeling disturbed as the quiet boy left his question unanswered.

“Lip?”

“Huh?”

“How’s your lip?” Ben clarifies as he presses a finger towards his own lip. Finn finds his scar, understanding what he meant as he traces over the bandage that the nurse put there. “It’s fine, nothing bad.”

Ben’s eyes still remain intensely on Finn and while it is unnerving to have this older boy hovering over him, he strangely doesn’t mind it. Finn can’t explain it but his presence seems familiar now, normal. Maybe it’s from all those times he sat by him in complete silence or from constant exposure to his silent ways. Whatever made him adapt to Ben’s concentrated silence, he can’t help but feel calm.

“Why did you stick up for me?” Ben suddenly interjects, cutting off the quiet with his pointed and emotionless words, staring expectantly at Finn. The younger boy shrugs.

“I don’t like seeing people get hurt. No matter who they are or whatever someone thinks they deserve to get. I don’t like seeing someone getting bullied or called names.”

“That the same reason you sit by me at lunch? You pity me?”

“No,” Finn explains hastily, “I think that you are interesting. I just wanted to get to know you.” Finn’s face begins to flush as he realizes how weird that might sound. Just admitting to a stranger that they were ‘interesting’ even though they hardly talk. In all honesty, he might have been a nuisance to Ben. “I mean, sorry, if it’s a burden having me there. I know that-“

“I don’t mind,” Finn practically hurt his neck when he whipped around to see Ben’s neutral expression. “I don’t mind that you sit at the table either. I actually like it. It isn’t as bad as sitting all alone there, waiting for lunch to end.”

Ben then shoots him a small mischievous smile. “But you eat weird,” Finn didn’t even have time to register what Ben just said because he was too busy looking at the small smile that occurred on Ben’s face. He hasn't seen it once on his face. He hasn’t seen any really different expression on his face, except for the same mundane stare that he usually has. He had never shown a glow or spark of happiness and watching his face light up just a smidgen changed everything on the older boys face. It looks good on him, the way that he smiles.

“I’m happy you finally decided to talk with me. It’s nice to hear your voice.”

The two then stare at one another for a moment Before he turns to the doorway. “I got to go, take care of that lip,” he wakes out of the nurse’s office.

Finn watches him leave while his heart flutters just a little when he remembers that small smile on his face.


	5. Silence

His mother and father gave him hell. They yelled at him, banned him from the computer and his phone, anything that he had, they took away from him. He had to do double the chores over the three days that he was suspended from school, which meant cleaning everything twice and doing it over those three days. His mother, being a cop, basically lectured him as if he were part of her squad, responsible for the citizens in the city and town. She went over why it was dangerous to get in a fight and why he should have gone to the principal’s office. 

“You always go to a higher authority that might outrank your own superior.” He sighed and shook his head at his mother’s words. His father wasn’t any better, except he did it in a more smooth lawyer way, coaxing him out of his shell and then telling him where he went wrong systematically like he was a witness on the stand. 

“..didn’t go to the office when you should have. And that is where you created the biggest error of all, the fact that you took justice into your own hands…”

Finn listened to his parents, nodded his head, and respected their words, not wanting to incur any more of their wraith. He already had to clean so much that there wasn’t going to be anytime for him to do anything fun. He had to do all the chores before he went to bed and then wake up and repeat until the day ended. But he didn’t complain once. 

He would have done it all again, in the same way, because at least now Poe will stop bullying Ben. He wouldn’t have to watch another cringe session of Poe yelling at Ben. And he also finally got to hear the black haired boy talk. He also saw him smile which was like seeing a blue moon, maybe even rarer than that. He hoped that maybe this meant the beginning of a new friendship or at least no more awkward lunches. 

Finn chuckled briefly to himself as he continued to clean the house. He then paused for a second, wondering if his mother had heard him. The house, however, was silent. He cocked his head for a second but soon resumed his housework. They must be out working again or decided to take some time to themselves. He continued on his chores, thinking back momentarily to that small smile on Ben's face.


	6. Happiness

Finn and Poe were both suspended three days from school. Which Finn didn’t care too much about, even though his parents were pissed. He stayed home and cleaned, didn’t get to watch his tv or anything else. When he finally came back to school it wasn’t that but it wasn’t the same mundane days that he had experienced before. Finn had become Ben’s friend. 

 

Finn felt a shake at his sleeve, a person trying to grab his attention, when he did, he realized that Ben was tapping on his paper. At first, Finn thought that he wanted to copy what he had on his test, but Ben turned towards him, eyeing the teacher that was currently talking to someone else at the door, and whispered, “Look at the second question again.” Finn raised his eyebrow, but as he saw Ben’s stern expression, he relented and looked down at the question again.

 

_ What is the name of the second circle of hell? _

__ A.) The Fruitful _ _

__ B.)  _ _ _ The Gluttonous _

_ C.)  _ _ The Lustful _

_ D.) The Treacherous _

 

 

Finn stares at the answer, raising an eyebrow, he thinks back to his formula for the layers of hell. It goes two L’s- Finn stares down at his paper and realizes his mistake, hurriedly erasing his answer and darkening the letter C. He turns a grateful smile towards Ben who only nods his head. 

 

It wasn't just on his tests that Ben decided to help him with. Finn had usually taken to doing lab by himself, never pairing up with the older students or even dreaming of being able to get into one of their tight groups. 

 

So he did the work all by himself, and surprisingly, he always finished faster than the others, but not faster than Ben, who was always sitting in his seat, waiting for the bell to ring before Finn had finished. Ben also worked alone, not even glancing at Finn’s direction or considering being partners with him. And it had been fine, working separately, but things changed. 

 

“Do you want to work together?” the voice was so surprising that he almost dropped the lighter he had. He practically squealed a little, jumping a mile up before he realized that it was only Ben behind him, standing too close for comfort. Ben stood stiffly, his composure calm.

 

“Jesus,” Finn wheezed, his heart trying to calm down, “you scared me.”

 

“Sorry,”

 

“It’s fine you can work with me.” Finn ushers him over to his table. 

 

They finished their assignment quickly. It left them with a little more time to do their own separate homework or talk a little. However, all of his attempts to talk with Ben were a little awkward. He didn’t like to talk much. It wasn’t because he was shy, but It took him a while to find the right words to respond with.

 

“My favorite desert are these sweet potato pies that my dad makes and they are the best thing I have ever tasted. What’s your favorite dessert?” Ben stares down at his homework, writing a question in. Finn waits patiently, but there is no reply. He must be too busy with his homework. Finn turns to his own work, feeling as if he is being a bother. 

 

“Lemon cake,” Finn grins. 

 

Over time, Ben seems less tense, but there's still an air of coldness around him, like he hadn’t had human interaction in a long time. He also seemed too unaware of personal space when it came to Finn.

 

Hands came up behind him as he tried to balance himself on the ladder, making him shriek in fear at who in the world was gripping his hips. “Hey,” he called down to the person, to only see light brown eyes staring back at him in determination. 

 

“What are you doing Ben?”

 

“I should be asking you that,” the other boy snapped. “You looked like you were about to fall.”

 

“I’m fine, Ben, I’ve got it.” 

 

“Let me get it. I’m taller than you.”

 

“Ben, I’m fine. I won’t fall down.”

 

“Let me do it,” Finn sighed, stepping down from the ladder and allowing the irritatingly taller man to go up the ladder and retrieve the tubes that they needed for their experiment. Finn grumbled the rest of the day but Ben never let up. 

 

He kept doing favors like these, taking heavy objects from him, offering to carry his bag. It was starting to feel as if he had an overprotective boyfriend looking after him, and he would never admit the blush he had at even thinking in such a way or the warm feeling he had in his chest.   

 

The best thing that came out of Ben opening up to him was that he was thoughtful. And not in the, let me ask you about your day and comfort you a little sense. He went to lengths to make sure that he felt alright, that he was okay. He’d sit beside Finn, ask what was wrong, pry his secrets from his lips, his feelings and then he would comfort him and wouldn’t stop until Finn had a smile on his face and completely forgot what he was worried about. 

 

And Ben always knew when something was upsetting him. He didn’t know how he did it, but if he was irritated, mad, steaming with anger, he knew even when he had controlled his face and emotions so well that not one other person had noticed at all. He always knew, though, his light cedar eyes catching his emotions.

 

Finn felt strange as he came back from the counselor's office, taking a seat next to Ben. He didn’t talk to him or exchange any glances back to the boy, he kept his eyes focused on his work and on the teacher. Ben didn’t bother him while they were doing their homework or listening to the teacher, but he could feel his questioning eyes boring into him. 

 

“What’s wrong?” he bluntly questions as he follows Finn out of the room, trailing behind him. The younger boy doesn’t answer him, only shaking his head, attempting to escape him. Since they both had English next, that wasn’t easy. The older boy stayed behind him, his eyes watching, his lips moving, trying to get Finn to open to him. 

 

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve talked enough.” Finn didn’t allude to what it was, but he saw an understanding in Ben’s eyes, a nod. They move in silence, breaking through the heated crowd that gathered in the halls as they went to their next class. But Finn felt fingers intertwine with his own before they entered the classroom, pulling him backwards and towards him. 

 

Then he felt himself being pulled away as they started to move fast towards the door, exiting the building. 

 

“Where are we going?” 

 

“You’ll see,”

 

Finn wasn’t sure about this, leaving school, he had never done that before. He’s always been the good doting son, what would his parents think of him now? Yet he let Ben lead him away, let him drag him across streets down roads until they came to a small corner, with barely anyone around except for one cheery looking woman with eyes as blue as the stars. Finn looked at the sign she stood under. 

 

“Eddie’s Best Ice Scream?” Ben went up to the counter and when she started to talk, Finn noticed the vampire shape to her teeth. 

 

“Hello, what can I get you two?”

 

Ben turned over to him. “Do you like pumpkin ice cream?”

 

“I don't have any money on me.”

 

“I got it, order something,”

 

“Are you sure?” Ben nudged him and Finn rolled his eyes. 

 

“A small cone of mint chocolate chip..or the,” he looked over at the menu, seeing the wacky names for the different ice cream, smiling, “Yoda ice cream,”   
  


“Make it a large,” Ben recounted, while she just grinned.

 

“Ben.”

 

“And I’ll have red saber,”

 

“Alright, coming right up!” She quickly went to work before Finn could refute, but Ben wouldn’t have let him anyways. It didn’t take long for the ice cream to come out, and in the cone there were little figures sticking out. He got the Yoda figure and Ben had Darth Vader nudged in his. They went to the side of the street, sitting down enjoying the ice cream, watching the cars go by. 

 

“What is this place? I have never heard of it.”

 

“Not many have, kind of hard to find unless you are looking for it. It’s a halloween themed ice cream shop, open year around. They have some of the best ice cream in town.” 

 

Finn took a lick of his ice cream as he listened and instantly feel in love. “Mmmm, that is good,”

 

“It’s the best. I used to come here a lot. That was when I was little. My dad used to bring my mom and me down here after a day out camping and swimming, we’d drive up in the back of the truck, completely illegal. I’d jump onto his shoulders and get the Pumpkin jack or the red saber. Then we’d just sit here, watch the people and cars go by, laughing. Always a good day.”

 

“That sounds really nice.” Finn smiled.

 

“Yeah, it was.” They continued to lick at their cones, and a deep peace settled into Finn’s bones, the kind of detox that he hadn’t had in months, weeks. He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but it felt as if part of himself had finally come back a little bit. There was something so simple about this moment that it took the stress of the day away. It took everything away. 

 

“Thanks,” Finn acknowledged, smiling at Ben, “I needed this. Been a rough couple of months.”

 

Ben understood but did not sympathize or say something to comfort. He just was present, there for him. A statue that was unmoving. Reliable it seemed. Reminded him of his parents and the moments he had shared with them. They wouldn't be coming home tonight either. Finn’s head went down, his heart sunk. “Wanna know some other cool places around town?” Finn snapped from his moment of sadness and just nodded his head and let him talk. Ben ranted off then about whatever he wanted to. He talked and talked as if there hadn’t been a soul to listen before and it made Finn’s heart stutter as he heard the excitement in his voice. 

 

Finn was very curious as to why he had decided to keep so silent in the previous months, to shut everyone out and not discuss anything with anyone. He didn’t pry, though, knowing that when the time was right he could always address it then. For now, he just wanted to be happy with him, forget about his own life, and talk with him. 

 

They ended up both getting detention for skipping class, but it was well worth it. Even his mother and father could understand just a bit why he needed to get away. However, they didn’t really like Ben for taking him away. But he knew they would grow to like him once they knew what he was like. Ben and Finn’s relationship grew and they talked more, laughed more. Things were beginning to look up and Finn wished for it to be like this forever. 

 

Nothing ever goes on for an eternity, though, everything has to die at some point. 

 

“So you like being that emo kid’s bitch now?” Poe cornered him in the stalls of the bathroom, completely isolated from any teachers or students that might be able to intervene.

 

Finn backed up into the stall, wanting to get away from Poe, but that only incurred his wrath. He shut the bathroom stall behind Finn, his fists curled tightly into his hand. “Get out of my way, Poe,”

 

Finn tried to push him out of the way, to get him to move so that he could go and meet up with Ben in the classroom he came form, but the dick wasn’t letting him get out. He crowded in around him, placing his arms on either side of the door, blocking it. “Why are you doing this? And with him of all people, you decide to play with him?”

 

“Stop being an asshole. We’re only friends and there is nothing wrong with that.”

 

“Friends? Sure. And there is something severely wrong and twisted about that.” He moves closer towards him, his eyes zeroing in on him with anger in his voice.  

 

“It’s disgusting seeing you two all chummy together,” Finn pushed Poe back, not liking the way that he was intentionally invading his personal space. “Then don’t look and leave me alone.”

 

“No, I’m not going to.” He invaded his personal space again, uncaring of how he was trying to push him back. 

 

“I don’t know what that psycho might have done to you to make you actually think that he’s the good guy here, but you should really think about your fucking parents before you decide to mess with shit like him.”

 

Finn barked back with, “Don’t talk about Ben or my parents!” the boy then scoffed, his nostrils flaring and eye narrowing as he snarkily commented, “What? You’re freaking d-”

 

Finn knew what he was going to say and he wasn’t going to let him finish that sentence. “Ah!” He lunged into him, knocking him against the back of the bathroom stall, using all of his energy to then start punching his stomach. He then tried to move him out of the way, opening the stall door to get out and away from him, to run back to his classroom and pretend this whole ordeal didn’t happen. 

 

But Poe pulled on his shirt, yanking him back and grabbing his head as he slammed it down onto the sink, causing him to fall onto the ground, his knees buckling. “Fuck!” he groaned out as he curled up on the floor, his hands holding his hurt and bruised head. 

 

“That’s what you get you crazy dick!” Poe continued to hurl kicks into his stomach then, making him wince as he tried his hardest to cover up that area before he broke a rib or did some damage that would call for a hospital. He tried to speak to Poe, to tell him to stop, but he couldn’t say anything as he kept hurling his foot at him and then switching to his fists. 

 

“Ah!” he cried out, wishing for the pain to stop as it spread across his body, but it continued on, numbing his body in certain places and causing him to wince and jump in another shot of pain. The door opening in the background, the sound of a girl gasping invaded his mind while Poe’s words and breaths escaped him. 

 

“Fuck, Poe, stop, stop,” she pleaded with him, seeming to drag him off, but Finn couldn’t be sure; his vision was a little blurry, all he knew was that now he didn’t feel the lightning strikes of pain vibrating through his body. He stayed on the bathroom floor, hearing the both of them argue, but not understanding the words as he felt a liquid start to drift down from his head onto the floor, other places hurting and bleeding around his body. How bad did Poe beat him up?

 

“Finn,” a voice called him, gently hands touching his face and staring into his brown eyes, “Finn, can you hear me?” He nodded his head as he looked round, noticing the group of boys and teachers that were now in the bathroom looking down at him in horror. 

 

“God, someone call an ambulance!” One of them shouted, staring at Finn as if he were the most malformed thing they had ever seen. “I’ll dial them!”

 

Finn shook his head, mumbling out, “No, I’m fine. I’m completely fine. It’s nothing big. I just feel a little sore.” It was obvious that the counselor, the lady that had helped to get him back to her attention, was not believing him nor the other students around. He ignored their stares, though, he didn’t want to go to a hospital. He’d rather die here on the bathroom floor of his school than go back there. 

 

“Finn, come on,” he felt the woman start to carry him, another teacher coming by to lift him up. His eyes surfed over the crowd of individuals that stared at him, catching a glimpse of Poe talking with someone, his hands shaking as he pointedly ignored looking at Finn, while Rey stared at him with tears in her eyes. 

 

“I’m calling…” He zoned her out, knowing that his parents would probably come pick him up, lecture him again. He didn’t care. He only wanted the stinging pain in his body and head to stop. 

 

Finn’s eyes move away from her and sees familiar brown eyes staring back at him, a pale expressionless face staring at him. He knows that it is Ben, but there is something different about him. He doesn't have a good face on. His eyes are too chilled, body too still to be the boy that he had come to know now. He looked like he did a few weeks ago, when they had been strangers. 

 

Finn notices that his hands are clenched, completely a different and more dangerously shade of white than his skin tone as he watches Finn pass him. The younger boy wants to tell him that everything is fine, that he doesn’t even feel any of the pain, joke about “looking at the other guy”. He already knows that none of it would be able to calm him down even if he could talk to him. Finn is taken away to the nurse’s office and he hopes that Ben doesn’t do anything stupid.  

 


End file.
